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DAVOS, Switzerland – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is prompting a self-searching in neighboring Moldova about whether the country needs to move away from its constitutionally enshrined neutrality and lock itself into a “grand alliance”.
When asked about possible NATO accession, Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said in an interview with Politico that the country is still weighing its next step, and whether doing so would require constitutional changes.
“Now, there is a serious discussion … about our ability to defend ourselves, whether we can do it on our own, or whether we should be part of a larger coalition,” she said. “And if we do, at some point, come to the conclusion as a nation that we need to replace neutrality, it should be through a democratic process.”
In her response, Sandu was careful not to name-check NATO, anathema to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is already trying to destabilize Moldova’s pro-EU government, Russia has warned against further military cooperation between Moldova and Western allies.
Although Moldova is not a member of NATO, it does support organization and contributes to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
Sandu along with other leaders had met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September last year. Moldova’s foreign minister, Nicu Popescu, attended a NATO meeting in Bucharest in December – the first time a Moldovan foreign minister attended a NATO ministerial meeting. At that gathering, the allies reaffirmed support for Moldova, including the provision of training for the Moldovan Defense Forces. neighboring nato members Romania is also particularly keen Increase military cooperation.
The most obvious obstacle to further integration of Moldova is that Russian troops are stationed inside the country within the breakaway region of Transnistria.
Nevertheless, military calculations are becoming more pressing. Moldova has found itself dangerously close to a conflict that began almost a year ago. Just last week, debris from the missile was found again in the north of the country. Attacks against energy infrastructure in Ukraine knock out power in Moldova as well.
Moldova must perform a delicate dance: staying true to its pro-Western and pro-EU trajectory on the one hand, while not emboldening Russia to the point where it can use military force, on the other.
‘Peaceful Country’
Russia has repeatedly warned Moldova against military cooperation with the West, considering the former Soviet state as its sphere of influence.
But Sandu pushes back against any notion that Moldova’s bid to strengthen its defense capability – either by increasing its military capability, or by forging closer ties with other allies – is provocative, saying that Russia, Ukraine or Moldova No, it’s aggressive.
“Moldova is a peaceful country. It is not Moldova that has started a war against its neighbors,” she said. “Russian propaganda managed to convince part of the population that neutrality means you don’t have to invest in your defense, neutrality means you do nothing and you don’t have the ability to defend yourself, which It is wrong.”
Sandu, a former World Bank official, was selected for the anti-corruption campaign in 2020. In June, the country will host the second meeting of the European Political Community, a Europe-wide forum for EU and non-EU countries that first convened last year in Prague.
Moldova, which is committed to joining the EU under the pro-Western Sandu government, was granted candidate status in June. While discussions on accession are ongoing, the prospect of membership is still years away.
Nonetheless, the European Union has increased its support for the country, allocating hundreds of millions of euros to Moldova in the form of loans and grants since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. To help Moldova move away from Russian gas, the country’s electricity grid was synchronized with that of the European Union last year – a significant step towards the West.
Overall, Sandu says the country remains highly “vulnerable” and subject to Russian hybrid warfare through propaganda and misinformation. But at the moment, it is not facing military threats. the reason? Ukrainian bravery and resilience. “Thanks to the courage and resistance of Ukrainians, we are no longer facing military threats,” she says. “We are facing a range of risks, but none of it compares to the situation in Ukraine and the price Ukrainians are paying.”